What are organic farms?

Organic farms produce nutritious foods for people who are looking into organic grocery shopping.

But why choose organic farms?

Healthy foods aren’t necessarily produced from organic farms. They may not even be as good as you want them to be.

For most of us who want to be as healthy as possible, we want to eat clean, healthy foods. We work out and avoid smoking cigarettes so we don’t put toxins in our body.

But, have you ever asked yourself about the food that you put in your body? Is it clean? By clean, it means is it free of pesticide?

Good foods produced through conventional methods

Doctors recommend eating more fruit and vegetables to achieve a healthy body and fit mind. But most of them are grown using conventional methods. This means that they’re exposed to chemicals and toxins.

Traditional way of farming requires the use of herbicides to kill weeds. Even though most farmers don’t apply or spray herbicides on fruit and vegetables weeks before the harvest period, the residue of herbicides remains on the item.

Farmers also spray pesticides to control insect that may feed on fruit and vegetables.

Although the amount of pesticide present in one fruit won’t harm you, toxins can build up over time.

Furthermore, most farm-raised animals are injected with hormones so they grow faster. When you eat the meat of these animals, you’re also eating trace amounts of the hormones injected to them.

Those farm-raised animals aren’t only injected with hormones but they’re also injected with antibiotics and other medicines to prevent them from being infected with disease. These medicines remain in the meat.

Good foods produced from organic farms

Organic farms follow holistic, balanced agricultural principles. In other words, organic farming allows nature to do what it does best.

They utilize the natural methods of raising animals and preventing weeds and harmful insects from harming the animals, fruit and vegetables.

It’s true that farmers and gardeners of organic farms use pesticides to kill insects, they don’t use synthetic products.

Some of them utilize pyrethrin to kill those pests. It’s a pesticide that comes from chrysanthemum plant.

This means that the level of pesticide from organic farms is just 1/3 compared to the residue found on foods grown using conventional methods.

What benefits you can get from switching to nutritious foods produced from organic farms?

Eating organic, healthy foods lower the levels of chemicals that you put in your body.

Immediately after you switch to organically produced foods the pesticide levels in your body will drop dramatically.

You must remember that you are what you eat. If you continue to eat foods that are produced using conventional methods, then these chemicals will find a way into your system. When they accumulate, they can destroy your entire system causing you to have life-threatening diseases.

Thus, if you want to eat healthy foods, you should reduce your exposure to toxins and harmful chemicals. By reducing toxins that enter your body, you’re improving your health and general well-being.

Unfortunately, organic farms are associated with extra cost. This means that healthy foods produced from these farms are more expensive compared to the prices of traditionally grown food.

There’s also the fact that organic foods are found in some distance that you need to drive miles away to obtain them.

Should you consider healthy foods from organic farms?

If you’re not having health issues or if you find it difficult to look for healthy foods produced from organic farms, then it might be best to just switch to a partly organic food.

However, if you do have health issues, then switching to all organic foods could be the right choice.

How about organic junk foods?

They may sound healthy but they’re not. Manufacturers of organic junk foods convince people that eating junk foods can be healthy.

When you go organic grocery shopping, you’ll find products that carry the labels of organic, natural, nutritious, etc. But these terms aren’t regulated by the FDA so the manufacturers of these foods can easily put them into their products to entice consumers.

Bear in mind that organic foods are grown without the use of synthetic pesticides. They’re grown without artificial fertilizers. Organic farms fertilize soil through organic matter.

Unfortunately, farms that utilize no chemicals and farms that use synthetic pesticides and herbicides sparingly are classified by the US Department of Agriculture as “organic.”

Organic junk for weight loss

Even though chocolate bars, licorice, cereals and other junk foods can be labeled as “organic,” they’re still loaded with calories. And a calorie is still a calorie, regardless of whether or not the food is organically produced.

The extra calories that you put in your body from organic junk foods will still be converted and stored in your body as fat.

How about organic potato chips?

They’re still the same. Even if the potatoes used are grown organically, they still undergo the same process as other processed foods.

This means that they’re boiled or fried in high fat oil. They’re also loaded with high amount of salt.

The packaging?

They’re packaged and priced higher than a product produced in a conventional method.

You also need to remember that foods from organic farms don’t have special healing power. They may prevent diseases but they don’t cure health problems.

This means that it’s still better to grab fresh fruits and vegetables than eating organic lemon drops.

Organically produced foods and foods produced through conventional methods have the same vitamins and minerals. Although crop rotation may improve the nutrition of the food, it’s not regulated by the DA.

In fitness, organic foods won’t change the golden rule of calories intake versus calories out. This means that when you consume, say 2,500 calories from organically produced products and you only burn off 500 calories each day, you’re still going to gain weight.

This is also true if you opt to follow a diet rich in protein without carbs. Your body will still convert the extra calories into fat and store them in your body.

How about chocolates?

Chocolates have powerful antioxidants. However, since the cocoa beans in them are processed, they’ll offer fewer benefits to the body.

When they’re over processed, some of the antioxidants present might be gone. Processing of foods reduces nutrient value of a food, whether it’s organically produced or not.

Grow your own food

To make sure that the foods you’re eating are organically produced, we, at Vim Chi, recommend that you must grow your own food.

Grain-fed chicken, pork and beef are great choices. But you don’t know who are growing them. It could be that they’re only using the word “organic” to entice consumers in purchasing their products.

Thus, when it comes to nutrition, there’s no shortcut. You must not consume junk food, even if it’s termed as organically produced junk foods. They can still cause you to gain weight and store fats in your hips, thighs, stomach and buttocks.

Does eating foods from organic farms make you healthy?

As previously mentioned, we don’t know who grow these organic foods. Bear in mind that some farmers still opt to use pesticides and antibiotics, even though they do it sparingly.

It still boils down to what you’re eating. This means that you should still opt for fresh fruit and vegetables and meats from grass-fed animals, regardless of whether or not they have the label “organic.”

Summing -up the benefits of foods from organic farms

Contain fewer pesticides. They don’t use synthetic herbicides and insecticides. If they do use pesticides, they’re not synthetic unlike those foods produced through conventional methods.

Fresher. Organically produced foods are fresher and they taste better than non-organic foods. The reason for this is that they don’t have preservatives.

May help improve heart health. Animals that have been fed with grass contain high amount of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). CLA is known to boost cardiovascular health.

Improve immune function. As we’ve mentioned earlier, non-organic foods are injected with antibiotics to prevent diseases. The extra dose of antibiotics may weaken immune system. And we all know the effects of a weakened immune function. It can no longer defend our body against diseases.

Better for the environment. Organic foods don’t use harmful chemicals. Thus, there’s no soil, air and water pollution. If there is, it’s just minimal.

Keep family healthy. Foods produced through conventional methods have been linked to learning disorders, birth defects, autism, etc.

Organic and natural – do they mean the same thing?

They’re not the same. Any food products can be labeled as hormone-free or all natural. But there are only a few selected foods that can be labeled as organic as they need to pass the organic standards of USDA.

What are the disadvantages of buying nutritious foods from organic farms?

Cost is the main problem of organic foods. They cost double than their conventional counterparts. The reason for this is that organic farming practices are costly.

They also spoil faster because they aren’t treated with preservatives and waxes. Their appearance isn’t attractive.

They’re not easy to find. This is especially true for those who are living in the city, where farmer’s market is found miles away. Local stores may offer organic grocery shopping but they only carry a very limited selection. But this can be alleviated by ordering in bulk when you go to a farmer’s market. You may also consider raising your own to make sure that the nutritious foods you’re eating are free of pesticides and other harmful chemicals.

How can you save during organic grocery shopping?

Purchase in bulk. Buying in bulk during organic grocery shopping won’t only save yourself time but also money on transport. Then again, you must make sure that buying in bulk is actually cheaper.

Buy during peak season. It doesn’t matter what foods they are, as long as they’re at their peak season, the organic foods you want to buy are cheaper.

Purchase directly from farmers. The cost is lower when you buy directly from farmers, rather than from retailers. They’re also fresher when you buy organic foods directly from organic farms.

Grow your own organic foods. This is the best way to save on organic foods. They’re always cheaper. It’s not easy to grow organic foods at first. But you can learn it over time. You can obtain seeds form agriculture shops.

How to start an organic farming business?

Grab knowledge about how to farm. One of the best ways to learn how to farm is to become an apprentice. You can learn several skills as to how certain foods can be grown organically.

Learn business too. Organic farming can be a huge business deal. If you run your own farm, you should treat it as a business. This is especially true if you want it to become profitable. Good thing is that the government offers farmer training centers to provide practical education for those who wish to learn about organic farms.

Become certified. Your organic farms will be nothing if you don’t get certification from the right people. A certifying agency will review your farms. They’ll also send someone to check it to make sure that you’re indeed following the appropriate practices of organic farms.

Join local organic farmers cooperative. You’ll receive different forms of assistance on how to grow organic foods. They can also share resources and allow you to participate in their farmers’ markets.

If you don’t obtain certification and sell your produce, you’re not allowed to claim that your products are organic. Bear in mind that people who are looking for organically produced foods want an “organic” label in every product that they purchase.

Conclusion

There are so many benefits of opting for the produce of organic farms. Some of them are obvious while others are not-so-obvious. They can benefit you or benefit others and the environment.

About the author

Rod Jong is a BS Chemistry graduate who believes that people must start consuming foods that are organically produced. If he’s not writing, then he’s busy managing his (organic) farm that utilizes the power of natural processes.

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Vim Ch’i

“Strive for progress, not perfection.”

Vim Ch’i is a health and wellness centre in Davao that offers natural supplements and fitness products, which bring back your Vim (energy and enthusiasm) and Chi (vital energy to animate the body internally)

If you wish to contribute articles, infographics, etc. to our website, please email us admin[at]vimchi.info.